AHL

The transaction freeze is coming quickly in the NHL, as all 31 teams will lock down their rosters between December 19-27th. That means they have just a few days left to make any trades or waiver assignments they need, leading to daily intrigue around the league. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves of the day right here.

Ville Pokkahas been recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks whileCody Franson is moved to injured reserve. The Blackhawks have been waiting for Pokka to make his mark in the NHL since acquiring him in 2014, but he’s continued to struggle with defensive miscues throughout his career. If he does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut and a chance to prove that his offensive value can overcome any lapses in his own end.

Ben Harpur has been sent back to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, though it’s not clear why yet. Head coach Guy Boucher recently said that Mark Borowiecki wasn’t close enough to return yet, and Chris Wideman is still out long-term. Harpur’s assignment leaves the Senators with just six healthy defensmen on the active roster, meaning another move is likely to follow. In the meantime the team has called up forward Nick Paul, bringing him back after his latest stint in the AHL. Paul, a 22-year old winger, has played four games with the Senators this season but has been held scoreless.

Arizona has recalledJoel Hanley from the AHL, bringing the 26-year old back for the third time this year. Hanley has played four games for the club this year, and is eligible to be brought up and down as he cleared waivers just a week ago. The team had sent Kyle Capobianco back to the minor leagues to keep him in game action, but needed another defenseman with Niklas Hjalmarsson still not ready to return.

The New Jersey Devils have broughtNick Lappin up from the AHL to replace Marcus Johansson, who ends up on injured reserve for the second time this year. Lappin had been tearing up the minor leagues with 12 goals in 23 games, continuing his pattern of finding the back of the net with ease. Johansson is out with an ankle bruise suffered on Saturday.

Duncan Siemens has been reassigned to the San Antonio Rampage, as the Colorado Avalanche continue to try and spark something in the first-round pick. Siemens was selected 11th-overall in 2011, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL for any length of time. In five career games, he has zero points.

The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings are about to get even stronger. The team has announced that veteran forward Kyle Cliffordhas been activated from the injured reserve. After missing all but the first three games of the 2017-18 season with an upper body injury, Clifford could return to the L.A. lineup as early as tonight’s match-up against the New Jersey Devils. The Kings had an open roster spot, meaning no corresponding moves were needed to activate Clifford and likely indicating that he is expected to go tonight. The two-way winger is a career King and thus a two-time Stanley Cup champ. L.A. will surely appreciate having his seven years of experience and familiarity back in the lineup.

The St. Louis Blues, division leaders themselves, have returnedSamuel Blaisto the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The timing of the move is curious, given that Jaden Schwartzwas just recently sidelined for six weeks and the Blues could use his offensive instincts in the lineup. Blais has only three points in nine NHL games in his rookie season, but impressed the organization in the preseason and has 13 points in 11 AHL games. With a tough game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight and a crucial home-and-home with the Winnipeg Jets coming up this weekend, perhaps coach Mike Yeo wanted to field a more veteran, two-way lineup, especially given the absences of Alex Pietrangeloand Jay Bouwmeester. However, the team could regret missing out on Blais’ offensive fire power if missing Schwartz is more apparent.

The New York Islanders are still upset about the lack of league retribution handed out to the Bruins’ Brad Marchandfor his high hit on Isles captain John Tavareson Saturday. En route to a 3-1 Boston win, the game did get physical and Marchand took offense to an earlier incident and undoubtedly charged at and hit Tavares. However, the five-minute major he was awarded was enough for the NHL Department of Player Safety, who announced they would not have a hearing with a familiar face in Marchand. That didn’t sit well with Islanders head coach Doug Weight, Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes. “I was probably a little surprised,” Weight said, explaining “Things are targeted, things happen spontaneously, but to me, the ones that are premeditated, it’s unfortunate when we only look at results. So if Johnny lies there and he is hurt, there’d probably be something done. I don’t know the logic in that.” For now, all the Islanders can do is be thankful that Tavares wasn’t hurt and be prepared to deliver some justice themselves when the Isles face the Bruins again in their first game of 2018.

The NHL has another full slate today with nine matchups around the league, including a prime tilt between the Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues. Both teams are among the very best in the NHL, and should put on an impressive show.

In the meantime, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to get ready for tonight right here. Refresh the page throughout the day to stay up to date.

Tyler Bertuzziis on his way back to the minor leagues after just a single game with the Detroit Red Wings. Bertuzzi saw just over nine minutes of ice time against St. Louis on Saturday night, but was dominated by the Blues’ deep lineup and ended the night a -3. The young forward will have to wait for another chance to impress, as Detroit struggles to find a lineup good enough to get them into the playoffs this season.

Another interesting weekend in the NHL that brought some incredible matchups, not the least of which was the Tampa Bay-Winnipeg game on Saturday night. While Tampa Bay took home the victory in overtime when Brayden Point lifted a backhand past Connor Hellebuyck, the game showed just why both teams have a good chance to go deep in the playoffs this year.

Now, Monday comes with roster moves for several teams in the league. Right here we’ll update with all the minor transactions of the day, so make sure you refresh often.

The Nashville Predators might as well have a permanent listing on these posts, as they’ve swapped their backup goaltenders once again. Juuse Saros is back up with the team, while Anders Lindback is headed for the AHL. Nashville has been moving the two back and forth all year, trying to use Saros as the NHL backup while also getting him the most development time possible. The 22-year old actually has had a poor season at both levels, a troubling trend for a team with their eyes on the Stanley Cup.

The Winnipeg Jets have activatedSteve Mason from injured reserve, meaning Eric Comrie is heading back to the AHL. Comrie was given one start during this call-up, but allowed five goals to the Florida Panthers and will have to wait for his next opportunity. He’ll likely jump right back into the net for the Manitoba Moose, with Michael Hutchinson both nicked up and a potential trade target.

It was fun while it lasted for Kyle Capobianco, but the young defender has been sent back to the minor leagues. Capobianco, 20, made his NHL debut for the Arizona Coyotes last week but will have to wait for his next chance. He’ll return to the Tucson Roadrunners, where he has 14 points in 17 games this season.

There may only be four games on tap today, but with a busy slate yesterday that saw all but seven teams in action, there should be many squads reviewing their performances and making any necessary changes ahead of a new week:

After being called up just yesterday, Sonny Milanois on his way back down to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters once again. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the demotion of the struggling young forward late last night after an unimpressive performance against the Arizona Coyotes. Columbus came out on top 1-0, but Milano’s only statistic of note was one giveaway in his 8:34 time on ice. Milano has five goals and five assists in 25 games with the Jackets this season, but has scored only once since October 13th. With Columbus’ depth of talent, they don’t have to put up with that inconsistency.

NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that the St. Louis Blues have recalled Ivan Barbashevfrom the AHL. After playing in 30 games for St. Louis in 2016-17, Barbashev has only skated in six NHL contests this season and hasn’t seen big league action since October after being held scoreless to begin the campaign. With the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, Barbashev has four goals and four assists in 18 games, so the 21-year-old Russian isn’t exactly tearing up the minors either. Barbashev needs to find a rhythm this season if he hopes to stick in St. Louis and this recall is his next chance to do so.

The Dallas Stars announced the have recalled center Jason Dickinson from the Texas Stars of the AHL this morning. The 22-year old has played in just four games with no points with the Dallas Stars this season, filling in as an emergency forward. This will be no different as the team still has Martin Hanzal out and the status of Antoine Roussel (elbow) and Greg Pateryn (thigh contusion) are both up in the air for tomorrow’s game against the New York Rangers. Dickinson is expected to play as the team’s fourth-line center on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. The former first-round pick from 2013 has played well in the AHL, where he has scored 13 goals in 20 games.

The Montreal Canadiens announced they have activated winger Nikita Scherbak, who has been out since Oct. 26 after requiring surgery on his right knee, and has been assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Scherbak had only played with the Canadiens for less than a week when he was injured. He was recalled on Oct. 22 after a strong start with the Rocket when he put up one goal and eight assists in six games. Struggling for offense, Montreal hoped Scherbak might be able to infuse the team with his skills, but he managed to play in just two games and averaged just 7:59 of ice time before injuring his knee.

The Anaheim Ducks placedJoseph Blandisi, who was recently acquired as part of the Sami Vatanen and Adam Henrique trade, on injured reserve with an upper body injury. He played in two games with no points after coming over in the trade, but was injured in the Dec. 2 game against the Nashville Predators. He has missed three games and could still be activated for Monday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team also recalled defenseman Andrew Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 24-year-old played four years with University of Minnesota-Duluth and has played well in San Diego as the blueliner has six goals and 11 assists in 21 games. This is his first callup to Anaheim.

The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno tweets that the Vegas Golden Knights activated starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury off of injured reserve and assigned Maxime Lagace to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Fleury was reported yesterday to be ready for Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been out since Oct. 13 with a concussion and has played in just four games this season. The team’s leader has a 2.48 GAA and a 3-1 record. Lagace returns to Chicago after a long stint with the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut this season and had some good and bad games, wrapping up with the team Saturday as he stopped 36 shots to win his sixth game of the season against the Dallas Stars. He finished his stint having played in 14 games with a 3.79 GAA and a .872 save percentage. Because Lagace was an emergency recall, he does not have to pass through waivers to return to Chicago.

The context behind the St. Louis Blues’ call-up of Ivan Barbashevis now clear. The Blues have announced that Jaden Schwartzsuffered a right ankle injury in yesterday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks, during which time the team will have to lean on Barbashev or another AHL forward as his replacement.

This is a devastating blow for the red-hot Blues. Schwartz has struggled with injuries in the past but has always produced at a high level when healthy. Schwartz has 35 points in 30 games and an incredible +23 rating. Schwartz is currently second on the team in points, goals, and plus/minus behind only linemate Brayden Schennand tied with Schenn for assists. His impact on special teams can also not be understated.

Schwartz’s absence will be quite the test for St. Louis. While they were fortunate to get Patrik Berglundback from injury before Schwartz went down and have also seen surprising production from the likes of Vladimir Sobotka, Scottie Upshall, and Dmitrij Jaskin, it will still be very difficult to make up for the loss of Schwartz for the next month and a half. Barbashev, the presumptive replacement for Schwartz as a top nine forward, had been held scoreless so far in the NHL this season and Wade Meganand Tage Thompsonhad the same luck in their short stints. One of those three young forwards needs to step up or else the Blues could see their lead in the Central slip away in no time, with the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets right on their tail.

The nephew of former Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi, Tyler is an impressive prospect. Since being selected 58th-overall by Detroit in 2013, he’s shown an impressive ability in the minor leagues to play both pest and scoring threat. Coming off a Calder Cup victory with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season—in which he scored 19 points in 19 playoff games, while taking 50 PIM—he’s off to another good start after an early injury with nine points in his first 12.

Detroit came roaring back on Tuesday night against the Jets after getting pummeled by the Canadiens in a home-and-home, and now sit at 11-12-5 on the year. There is some worry in Red Wings land that the team isn’t as good as they showed early on, but Bertuzzi will certainly give them something to cheer for. He’s expected in the lineup on Saturday night in the place of an injured David Booth.

Hockey Canada released a list of 32 players invited to the World Junior selection camp this month, as they prepare for the tournament in Buffalo. As we wrote when the list was released, it is possible for several other NHL players could be allowed to join the tournament as well should their clubs release them. Alexander Nylander, for instance, still doesn’t have an answer from the Buffalo Sabres on whether he’d be allowed to leave the Rochester Americans to play for Sweden.

Tyson Jost of the Colorado Avalanche is that player for Canada, and as Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports it’s likely that he’ll be allowed to leave the team to play in the tournament. Jost’s development has been handled very carefully this season, with him spending time in the AHL to receive more minutes and work on his two-way game.

How can he play in the AHL and still be eligible for the World Juniors you ask?

Jost played in the BCHL before being drafted and heading to the University of North Dakota, meaning he’s not held to the same restrictions as CHL players. Remember, those drafted out of the CHL cannot play in the AHL until they turn 20. Jost is just 19 still, and would be a huge help to the Canadian team.

The 10th-overall pick in 2016, Jost has top-line upside as an all-around center and was part of the 2017 Canadian team that took home the silver medal. Even though the team already has plenty of talent to pick from, getting another returnee—especially one that has captained Canada on the international stage in the past—would increase their chances even more.

As is the case a few times each season, the St. Louis Blues were forced to bring in an inexperienced amateur as their backup goalie for their game tonight against the Dallas Stars. The team announced that regular understudy Carter Huttonhad been injured earlier today in the morning skate, suffering a lower-body condition that was serious enough that he could not dress behind Jake Allentonight. Although they were quick to recall Ville Husso from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage on an emergency basis, sending rookie winger Sammy Blaisdown in the process, the 7:00 PM flight out of south Texas was not going to be in time for puck drop of tonight’s game.

So, the Blues have turned to local goalie Tyler Stewart. Stewart signed an amateur tryout agreement with the team and took part in warm-ups tonight. The plan was for Stewart to to serve as the backup until Husso arrived from San Antonio, but even that brief experience has to be the thrill of a lifetime for the St. Louis native. Stewart was the starting goalie for St. Louis University’s ACHA Division II squad for three seasons, but never came close to having pro prospects. A chance to wear the colors of his hometown team is quite the event.

Should Hutton miss substantial time, Husso may not be the best option to backup Allen long-term. The 22-year-old has yet to see any NHL action, but did spend time in the ECHL last year, plus his AHL numbers this season have been less than spectacular. Husso was the quickest recall for the Blues, but Jordan Binnington, currently on loan to the Providence Bruins out on the east coast, is likely to be called upon as the backup instead. Binnington boasts an impeccable 1.83 GAA and .930 save percentage this season in Providence and made his NHL debut last season.

The reason for Demko’s call-up is less obvious. As Patrick Johnson of The Province explains, it most likely is a move to get the Canucks as close to the salary cap as possible before placing Derek Dorsett on long-term injured reserve. That way they can receive the largest benefit from his injury status, and use his entire $2.65MM cap space if need be.

Horvat has been excellent for the Canucks this season, and with Brandon Sutter also currently on injured reserve the team’s depth at center will be tested. The pair were leading the team in ice time among forwards, meaning others like Sam Gagner and Henrik Sedin will need to step up in their absence. Vancouver, who have had an admirable start to the season, will have to find a new way to shut down their opponent’s top players.